The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater declined 0.1 percent from July to September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the index for all items less food and energy declined 0.5 percent over the two-month span. The energy index increased 4.7 percent from July to September while food index increased 0.1 percent.  (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The Tampa area all items CPI-U advanced 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending September. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index increased 9.4 percent for the 12 months ending September. The food index rose 1.2 percent over the last year.

Food

The index for food rose 0.1 percent from July to September. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.4 percent from July to September. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) decreased 0.2 percent over the two-month period. Prices declined in 2 of the 6 major grocery store food groups, including meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-1.2 percent) and dairy and related products (-2.2 percent).

The food index rose 1.2 percent over the past year. The index for food away from home increased 2.8 percent over the last 12 months. The index for food at home was unchanged over the same period.

Energy

The energy index advanced 4.7 percent from July to September. The gasoline index increased 7.6 percent over the two-month pricing period.

The energy index increased 9.4 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index increased 36.3 percent over this 12-month span.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.5 percent from July to September. Among the notable indexes to decrease over the two-month period include recreation (-4.6 percent), medical care (-1.7 percent), owner’s equivalent rent (-0.5 percent), and apparel (-1.0 percent). In comparison, notable indexes to increase over the past two months include household furnishings and operations index (+1.4 percent), education and communication (+1.7 percent), and rent (+0.5 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.4 percent over the past 12 months. The medical care index rose 3.0 percent. The index for owners’ equivalent rent increased 0.9 percent over the past year and the index for rent increased 2.1 percent.

The November 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 10, 2026.

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Consumer Price Index for Tampa is published bi-monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. NOTE: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Core Based Statistical Area includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties in Florida.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

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